Why My Blog Motto is “Done and Not Perfect”

I remember the deadlines at work. Meticulously making sure what I passed to my boss was of the highest quality. I remember expecting so much from myself and my output because there was judgement coming. A “good job” or “fix this up” or “rewrite please”.

Working to KPI’s and other people’s expectations means you are always striving to over-deliver. For a pay-rise, a promotion, a great project.

You know the drill.

When I entered the world of blogging it all felt so random. Some might say ‘freeing’ but I missed the glance over my work from someone who knew more than me.

This actually slowed me right down. I never thought anything was good enough. So I rarely posted. I was so inexperienced and would have loved the ‘all clear’ from a boss.

I looked around at the stunning blogs I admired and felt paralysed. Even although I knew I wanted to share my story and recipes via a blog, it felt like those people knew more, took better photos, had a bigger audience, wrote beautifully. The old ‘comparisonitis’ crept in big time. (Heard of it? It’s the disease of comparing yourself to others incessantly #madeupword.)

Of course my husband would edit things and tell me it was great. But what if people laughed at me? What if the recipe didn’t work in other people’s homes? What if I was just plain bad at this?
There’s no boss in blogging land.

Not only this – I started my blog with a two-year-old and six-month-old in tow. So the moments I had to write were while they were sleeping. This meant the end of the day (so tired!) or during nap time. How is one meant to create a work of blogging art under those circumstances?!

But then something changed. I realised NOTHING was getting done. And it never would.

My new boss was me – I had the power to set the tone of expectation for my blog. My new KPI’s were writing things that interested people. And the only way to find out was to actually damn POST!

So I did. I got consistent. I also had another baby. Things were pretty manic in my personal life so I did what I could on the blog and on FB and pressed ‘publish’ or ‘post’ or ‘record’ at every opportunity. No time for perfection!

The momentum built. It was addictive. I let go of the old expectations of perfection so that I could just keep going.

Maybe it helps to have very little time. With three kids four and under I launched a free challenge to my community. It was 21 days long with a daily video and email and a few guest interviews.

It came about sharing a glass of wine with a web designer friend discussing the fact I was going to have to find a real job if I didn’t make something of this blog over the next year (read: create income). So she pushed me off the edge of the cliff and taught me what a ‘signup form’ was in Mailchimp.

I announced the 21 Day Wholefoods Challenge to my FB community that night with a start date.

To say I went in green – without knowing much – is an understatement.

What the hell was I thinking!? My perfectionist streak came right back to haunt me and I almost burnt out completely over-delivering on a free challenge.

While I over-delivered, it was completely imperfect. Some days I was hiding in my kid’s bedroom recording videos for the next day while they were in the loungeroom causing chaos. Some days the challenge email didn’t go out by its usual 6am. No doubt there were spelling mistakes galore (can’t bring myself to look back on it!). The imperfections went on.

I ended up with conjunctivitis and my adrenals had had a massive workout! But I’d successfully delivered (for free) what would become my signature program – Small Steps to Wholefoods. And in the process proved to myself I had something unique to teach which resonated with amazing women it was a privilege to serve.

Without taking huge imperfect action, I never would have started a business from my blog. I would never have realised the little burning dream inside me. I would never have positively impacted those 550 people in the free challenge. I was hooked.

It’s why ‘done and not perfect’ is my business motto. It’s allowed me the freedom to lose the expectation of perfection and move ahead anyway.

Right now I’m doing lots of Facebook LIVE. What an amazing tool for business owners and bloggers. It takes imperfection to a whole new level. No going back! Creating raw, honest and engaging content to build trust with your audience, showing your imperfect side is a brilliant marketing tool.

And it’s just a heck of a lot of fun. When I’m coaching clients who are looking to grow their business, the first thing I say is ‘take action’. Stop thinking about what you’re going to do. Stop looking around at the work of others and focus on what you want to do and how your work can help others.
Take a risk. Allow yourself to suck in the beginning and go for it. We all started somewhere.

Lisa Corduff is a wholefoods blogger with multiple online program cutting through the BS and helping real people eat more real food – in the real world! With a background in TV and Video Production she has been at the forefront of social media video marketing.

About Guest Blogger

This post was written by a guest contributor. Please see their details in the post above.

Your story is so refreshing for me. Because I routinely eff things up, get done, ship, and have made my way into a neat lifestyle, island hopping, and circling the globe for the past 5 years straight….and hell yeah I still criticize my work, and compare and doubt….but I feel the fear and do it anyway.

Your diving in even amid being terrified is really the secret to life. It’s the key. The thing separating folks who’re freeing themselves from folks who feel bound.

I recall having 3 visitors a day to my blog. Now I’ve 4. ;) J/k….a few more. Because I flubbed up and mucked up and had like zero clarity and mis-spelled and messed up but I shipped. I published. I still muck up, but I have removed all fear from hitting the publish button. Because of that, I get to blog from anywhere on earth, at any time. It’s neat, when we dwell on how boldness amid fear opens doors we’d never have seen, let alone, knocked on, and opened, during our more timid days.

Thanks Lisa for the supreme inspiration. All the best with your fabulous niche; gotta get that nutrition down pat to live a free, fun life.

Ryan

Lisa

So glad you enjoyed it – and you are SPOT ON with everything you said. The only way to move forward is to move forward! Feel the fear and do it anyway.

I only post like once a week on my blog or sometimes even less than that because I also have that mentality that I really want to make my content perfect, really good before I publish.

And just like what you said it has a bad effect on me. Instead of enjoying the process of writing, it became difficult and sometimes dark for me. I always have that pressure to create the best, perfect content.

Your post makes me realize to just let go of that pressure, to simply create content and enjoy the process. This is really an inspiration. i think I’m going to write more content now. Thanks

I’m SO glad you wrote this! It’s my mantra too. Why? Because not perfect but out there is better than not being seen. It’s something I used to drill into the heads of artist clients I had who were worried about their new website, their new blog, etc. Just do it. It’s the internet, I told them, you can always edit and change it and learn as you go.

Heck, I take it to the real world too. One year ago I got a lease on a physical gallery shop space. Because it was there. I had a vague plan that was meant to happen a couple years down the line. So I’m learning as I go with that. Which confuses quite a few people (I’m not profitable yet, but that’s okay because that’s in the budget/plan). But while others are waiting I’m building my brand identity and getting experience. I’d rather have a year of doing something, even with mistakes, than just waiting for the “right” moment. :)

I also have that problem of not doing anything because I think what I do isn’t good enough. I’ve had my blog for like 5 years or something, but only have like 70 posts or so. Looking back, I wish I had really committed to just posting a big post once a week and continuously working on social. If I had just done that, I’d be so much further along.

I’m just launching my website and really, I have struggled like crazy to get things done. I try always to change something or beat myself up because it’s not perfect. I even thought about going back to my old work.

Reading your experience Lisa, I really believe I need to keep going and make my blog and offerings a success! No time to be perfect, just time to get things done.

Thank you for sharing this! I’m just getting started and totally overwhelmed with thinking that it’s never going to take off, or that I have to get everything just right before putting it up! This helps so much.

Lisa

Good luck Emmy – feel the fear and do it anyway. Embrace that it’s all a journey and we learn along the way!

Thank you Lisa. Thank you! I’m not sure I’ll ever rid myself of perfection syndrome, but you are right. I need to just get on and post and stop caring so much! So what if it doesn’t quite read right, or the photos aren’t perfect? There are many, many people running successful blogs who don’t have either. Mind you, I’m not sure how my heart rate would cope with typos! Very timely article. Thank you. Sue @SuzyHomemakerUK

Lisa

I’m glad it resonated Sue – hope you’ve posted a few things since you wrote this!

Perfectionist paradox: I’m on the 4th evolution before launching. (Yes I may be an extremely case)
Daydreaming about my site going live and so close to the finish line. Having decided I want to feel good about the quality before I sent it out to the blogosphere. Can you imagine my horror to discover the “Coming Soon” plugin was not working and my site was live! How long I was wondering – who has seen it with links that don’t work and before my editors final tick? 😳 Clearly the sky didn’t fall!
I’m busy downloading an new plugin. Seriously have to get over myself! Thanks for the article.

Thanks for sharing your experience I had same story of my blogging journey. I try to work according to plan but at last when I checked my performance it was not so good so looks for more way and made some new plan then worked accordingly.

Hey Lisa, great great blog post and so true. So many people always getting ready to get ready and never post their articles, videos or basically anything. It’s all about getting in massive action and figuring it out as you go! Thanks again..

Hi Lisa, wow what an inspiring post. Managing three kids and a blog all at the same time. I understand how difficult it must have been for you. I can relate to it since a few days ago, I let go of perfectionism as I had an epiphany. I realized that holding off the publish button until everything was ready isn’t the way to do things.
Everything’s been going smooth since I made that decision.

I’m a perfectionist at heart but I’m learning to be more relaxed about things. As long as I’ve checked all facts then I don’t worry so much about a blog post being incomplete – I sometimes now go back and refine any old posts as and when it’s appropriate